Roger Penske’s influence stretches far beyond team ownership. He built an empire spanning the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and marquee events worldwide. In 2019, Penske Corporation, through Penske Entertainment, acquired IMS and the entire IndyCar Series in a deal reported to be between $250-$300 million. That control extends to iconic races like the Indianapolis 500 and the Long Beach Grand Prix, ensuring that when incidents occur on Penske-owned property, they immediately hit his doorstep.
In the high-tension opening of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway, a FOX cameraman crashed into Devlin DeFrancesco’s car, compounding the rookie’s difficult night. The incident unfolded moments after DeFrancesco spun into the wall, leaving him stranded at the pit entry, only for the cameraman to run into his back. That fumble was caught on tape during the live feed, resulting in a bizarre second crash. The poor guy was face down on the pavement of the pit road, staring into the lens of the camera he was carrying.
But the chaos didn’t just end there; the race delivered high drama with Josef Newgarden’s airborne crash, Christian Rasmussen’s pit fire, and strategic battles between Conor Daly, Pato O’Ward, and Scott Dixon provided non-stop action. King of the night was Kyle Kirkwood, securing his 3rd win of the season with back-to-back victories in Detroit and Long Beach. Will Power and Scott McLaughlin, both from Penske’s stable, made it a triple DNF, with one puncture and another suspension failure, underscoring Gateway’s brutal demands even on championship contenders. But the highlight of the day was that hilarious crash by the Fox cameraman, which was also mentioned during the race, and it soon made its way to social media platforms.
oh no the camera man pic.twitter.com/6dYkbRqPTi
— Skid (@WhoisSkid) June 16, 2025
William Buxton couldn’t help but share an update after the hilarious crash on the broadcast. “Welcome back to St. Louis, where we’ve had two crashes today, one for DeFrancesco, one for our cameraman… reported to be ok. The camera, possibly not so much.” Fans on Reddit and other social media sites have been showing both support and skepticism over the chaos that ensued at the Gateway track. Still, some have been hilariously enjoying the moment.
Fans react to wild weekend at Gateway
“I know weve been saying for awhile that FOX is hurting motorsports, but I didn’t realize that would literally start being the case,” one fan commented. Fans on Reddit have had growing complaints that FOX’s broadcast quality has had way too many tangible mishaps for the past few seasons. For instance, fans called out FOX for what they saw as ‘max negligence,’ citing camera crew errors and poor coverage during the 2024 Geico 500. Chief among the issues was the overwhelming frequency of full-screen commercials with every 6-8 green flag laps, causing fans to miss key action, including important crashes. Production quality was also slammed, especially for missing critical final lap wrecks involving Josh Berry and Corey LaJoie due to poor camera decisions, such as awkward coom-ins or cutting to the race leader too early.
But some fans took it as an opportunity to playfully criticize even NASCAR drivers, as one hilariously commented, “Reports are saying Ty Gibbs was nearby. Looked like Ty into the breaking zones all weekend.” In Mexico City’s Xfinity race, Gibbs aggressively dove three-wide into Turn 1, tangling with Connor Zilisch and causing a multi-car crash in Stage 3. Connor Zilisch was having a hard time dealing with Ty throughout the race and even called him out for intentionally wrecking into him at the start of the Xfinity race.
The playful comments did not stop as fans couldn’t help but criticize FOX for its broadcasting quality. Another fan quoted, saying, “‘If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you’re no longer a camera operator.’” At a time when Prime Video has been using drones for better angles and shots, traditional broadcasters are still playing catch-up. IndyCar has signed an exclusive deal with FOX, perhaps they can use more resources than just delivering picture-perfect commercials promoting the star drivers.
Another commented sarcastically, “Red Bull has submitted a protest on the cameraman’s behalf” as the hilarious response of the cameraman after being hit caught viewers in a frenzy, with some having to look into the incident for a while before understanding what exactly happened on the field. This was the highlight of the race, with FOX Sports putting up a hilarious show off the track for its viewers amid the high-speed drama going on in the field.
Nonetheless, motorsport camera operators are the unsung heroes, constantly chasing the perfect shot amidst chaos and speed. Their instincts often mirror the very drivers they film, seeking gaps, seizing angles, and risking comfort for clarity. But as the line between precision and peril narrows, one must ask: how far should they go to capture the action?
The post FOX Avoids Total Embarrassment at Roger Penske’s $300M Property Leaving Fans in Shock appeared first on EssentiallySports.